A photograph and a quote used on the recent Hot Springs article referenced Lover’s Leap in Hot Springs, North Carolina. Twelve Mile Circle has noticed numerous other Lovers’ Leaps over the years. So then I wondered. In all of those dozens of examples, had there ever been a verifiable case where an actual lover leapt? Or perhaps leaped? In every legend it always seemed to trace to the tragic tangled consequences of star-crossed Native American couples. Sometimes the same subjects leapt in multiple places.
Mark Twain, in his memoir Life on the Mississippi (1883), wrote, “There are fifty Lover’s Leaps along the Mississippi from whose summit disappointed Indian girls have jumped.” I couldn’t have agreed more. That’s why I decided to ignore the United States. Pre-Columbian inhabitants apparently rained down from the tops of every summit in more-or-less continuous fashion. So I focused on other parts of the world instead.
Andalusia, Spain
A large mountain jutting above the surrounding plains in Andalusia north of Málaga reached 880 metres (2,890 feet) above sea level (map). The locals called it Peña de los Enamorados, translating into English as something akin to “Lover’s Rock.”
So one imagined it must have an associated legend to go with the romantic name. Unfortunately it had no relation to The Clash, much to my disappointment. However, I found an explanation on Andalusia.com.
“When Ibrahim was the ruler of the castle of Archidona, he had a beautiful Muslim daughter called Tagzona who was betrothed to the old chief of the Alhama fort. However Tagzona was actually in love with Hamlet (or Tello in other versions), a handsome young Christian man from the Abencerrajes family of nearby Antequera. Some versions relate that she had met him when visiting captured Christian soldiers in prison and she helped him escape from prison. They ran away together and were chased by Moorish soldiers to the top of the rock, where, rather than renounce their love or be captured, they chose to hurl themselves over the edge holding hands – together till the end.”
I could substitute those Muslim/Christian names for those of any two Native American tribes. Then I could move the location to any elevated point in the U.S. and I’d have the exact same story. So I wondered if I could find something maybe just a little bit different.
Chepstow, Wales, UK
I chose a lovely spot in the United Kingdom. Of course I could have selected any of several candidates. However, ultimately I decided to feature the Lover’s Leap in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The valley spread along the border between England and Wales aside the River Wye, with Lover’s Leap itself located atop a cliff on the Welsh side (map).
The name derived from the mind of Valentine Morris. He was born and raised in the West Indies and inherited property in Wye Valley in 1753. There he called his estate Piercefield House.
“Morris laid out walks through the woodland, and included a grotto, druid’s temple, bathing house and giant’s cave. He also developed viewpoints along the clifftop above the River Wye, and opened the park up to visitors.”
The Piercefield Walk continues to be a popular attraction today. Naturally, visitors using the Walking Guide encounter Lover’s Leap:
“The railings here guard a sheer drop of 180 feet, ‘where the Wyndcliff is seen towering above the river in all its height and beauty, and below yawns a deep and wooded abyss’. (Coxe, 1801) Valentine Morris, whilst surveying his walk, reputedly fell off here and was saved by the branches of a tree!”
I inferred a couple of points about this Lover’s Leap along the River Wye. First, it was a fanciful name that sprang from the imagination of Valentine Morris. Second, his own stumble and near catastrophe may have inspired the name.
Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand
A large coastal hill named Sandymount sat just outside of Dunedin on New Zealand’s South Island. It offered a number of scenic vistas and promontories including Lover’s Leap (map) and has become a nice place for walks. I saw vague references to a Maori legend although I never did find the details. It probably resembled the Spanish and American versions of the same story.
That didn’t interest me once I encountered a new reason that occurred more recently: When love goes thong! Unlucky seal almost strangled by G-STRING after it was left at amorous spot known as Lover’s Leap
“The seal ended up lassoed around the neck by the raunchy red underwear in the seas just off a nature point dubbed ‘Lover’s Leap’ on New Zealand’s South Island. A worried on-looker spotted the distressed pup struggling with something around its neck so called the Department of Conservation. The team hiked for an hour up a tricky 230-metre cliff side to reach the helpless animal before battling in the dark for a further hour until they finally managed to free it… One can only assume that the owner of the saucy underwear had to make a quick exit down the cliff side after a romantic walk to the Lover’s Leap lookout point got out of hand.”
Now that’s a Lover’s Leap legend deserving the name!
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